17 – 20 July

We all know that Picasso could draw with the best of them, the draughtsmanship skills are there for all to see in his early work before he embarked on the kind of art for which he is now famous. So, with London City Ballet, as if to say, ‘Look we can do the classical stuff, albeit with a willingness to extend the vocabulary ’, the programme starts with choreography by Ashley Page that, almost like an apprenticeship piece, lays before us the skills and talents of five pairs of dancers in the Larina Waltz, from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Preceded by a short film which takes a nostalgic look back at the early years of the company, including the patronage of Diana, Princess of Wales, Larina Waltz is the first in a suite of chamber style after a hiatus of some thirty years.

The staging of Kenneth Macmillan’s Ballade is a summery affair.  All in white on a white set, bare save for a white table and four white chairs, four dancers, one of whom, Ayςa Anil, is female. The three males each go through a process of courtship and seduction as they make a play for her affection. The woman has agency, autonomy and takes from each before making her choice. Ms Anil is a remarkable dancer, seemingly made of some light, pliable material which enables her to perform with little regard for gravity.

With Five Dances, by Arielle Smith to music by John Adams (John’s Book of Alleged Dances) we move into the realm of pure meta dance, referring to nothing outside of itself. The five independent pieces each tell us something about the ability of dance to help make us understand without knowing. With no less a coming together of the various arts that make ballet what it is; bodies, space, music, costume and light but, in a more pared down way, the suite of dances are like a simple piece of cut glass which rings with the clarity of perfection when pinged with a finger.

The final dance, Eve, by Christopher Marney, brings us back into familiar territory as Eve (Kate Lyons) is seduced by the Serpent (Álvaro Madrigal). Set to music by Jennie Muskett this is a foundational dance. Having destroyed the original creation in the act of succumbing to the devil, Eve must start again. And so we are taken on a journey of rebirth, both of mankind and nature. It is an ambitious piece which achieves much in its relatively short time.

★★★★★ Graham Wyles, 19 July 2024

Photo credit: ASH